"Meeting Jesus at the Table" (Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr)

TITLE: Meeting Jesus at the Table
AUTHOR: Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2023, (160 pages).
 

Food is a significant part of any community both at home and outside the home. The Bible too has lots of references to meals, food, and feasts. There are food laws in the Torah. Throughout the Old Testament, we read instances of people needing food, like the famine in Egypt; the hungry and thirsty Israelites in the wilderness; the test of Daniel and his friends who opted for vegetarian food as their act of faith; how God fed Elijah; the feasts of kings; and so on. The need to eat continues to be a key thing in the New Testament. The gospels, especially the gospel of John use special feasts as a way to date the interactions of Jesus with the people. For Christians, the highlight of the Christian meal is none other than the Holy Eucharist or the Lord's Table.  The Lord's Table is a symbol of love, hospitality, openness, and welcome. Combing the gospels for instances of meals with Jesus, authors Cynthia Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr lead us through the different aspects of spirituality over the table. The intent of this book is to help us ponder what it means to be disciples of Christ, and what it means to be nourished body-wise and soul-wise. Food not only sustains us. It is an opportunity to cultivate relationships of all sorts. Eating together also provides teachable moments to learn spiritual lessons. In this Lenten Study, readers get to explore eight broad themes using food as a key to unlock these lessons. The authors have also engaged the input of illustrator Kevin Burns to use visual aids to invite further reflection on the past, conversation about the present, and application for the future. Each chapter helps us relate to the Season of Lent, to point us to the direction of meeting our needs in Christ alone.

"A Place at the Table" (Miranda Harris and Jo Swinney)

TITLE: A Place at the Table: Faith, Hope and Hospitality
AUTHOR: Miranda Harris and Jo Swinney
PUBLISHER: London, UK: Hodder and Stoughton, 2022, (224 pages).

What is hospitality? What has the practice of hospitality got to do with faith and hope? How does that help to cultivate friendship and community building? These basic blocks of community are covered in this fascinating book about the life and work of the founders of Arocha. Containing many stories of people in the Arocha community as well as from the Bible, one gets to see how ordinary objects like a house, a table, and a meal can help one build impactful relationships. It touches the core of what it means to be human: The need for DMC, or Deeply Meaningful Conversations. In fact, the core reason for acts of hospitality is to enable such connections to take place in an ordinary setting. The authors make a powerful case to learn to host meals out of our real ordinary selves instead of trying to present a perfect version of ourselves before we can learn to offer hospitality. Not only can we offer others a place at the table, we too can learn to be comfortable in our own skin when at the table. With the table as the centerpiece of conversations and connections, the six chapters in the book cover a range of activities from the preparation to go to the table to the activities after the table. Interspersed throughout the book are snippets from the late Miranda's journalism where she shares insightful observations about her challenges and rewards of ministry, reflections on the Bible, and spiritual lessons learned. There are also poems, prayers, and brief meditations on Scripture. The six chapters with my brief annotations are:

"The Simplest Way to Change the World" (Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements)

TITLE: The Simplest Way to Change the World: Biblical Hospitality as a Way of Life

AUTHOR: Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2017, (176 pages).

Change the world? Is that really possible? Would that require a lot of money or human resources? For many people, changing their own neighborhood might be a miracle already. Rather than launching gigantic projects or to pour huge sums of money into some huge infrastructural plan, it is actually quite simple. It takes one to start. It takes one to invite another. It simply takes one individual to share love and goodness with another, one at a time. For authors Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements, it is possible one neighbour at a time. More importantly, it begins with one's heart of hospitality. After all, hospitality is a biblical exhortation. Indeed, the world is changed by the Living Word and how the Word lives in the people who claim to believe it.

They first describe the potential of biblical hospitality. Opportunities lurk at workplaces; hobby locations; social environments; homes; etc. It could be as small as inviting someone over for a cup of coffee or being welcoming in how we greet people. It is about engaging people intentionally. Unfortunately, we have become misinformed or misguided about what hospitality means. For some it means coming up against some of our comfort activities like isolation with our own digital devices. We give excuses that hospitality runs against our need for personal relaxation and entertainment. Busyness could also hinder our cause. These four cultural currents need to be overcome. It begins with God to know that God has created a home for all people. This home is to be shared. This home is to be occupied by a hospitable people who see opportunities rather than obstacles in the establishment of a culture of hospitality. Opportunities such as: